La Portofinese: a love story for one’s own country
The agricultural company La Portofino starts from the ancient values of the Ligurian territory to discover the most authentic face of Portofino
Edited by Elisa Copeta
An open air mosaic of land with vineyards, olive trees and fruit trees in the nature reserve of Portofino National Park. This is how the project de The Portofinesean agricultural company that offers ad hoc experiences from the ancient values of the Ligurian territory to discover the most authentic face of Portofino.
Lands that once gave work to whole peasant families were reclaimed by Mino Viacava, portofinese doc for generations who decided to buy them to cultivate them like his ancestors. “I just wanted to give back some love and beauty to my country, which I feel deeply connected to. But then things got out of hand and from a simple field a heterogeneous reality was born, which today employs around thirty people,” he says. Mino speaks in the plural because next to him is the whole family who have made La Portofinese a 360° experience, including picnics in the vineyard, lunches in the tavern, cooking classes, gastronomic breaks at the mill and aperitifs in the square and on the rock of the Portofino lighthouse.
The places between sea and mountains. Portofino has several realities, from Monte di Portofino to the coast. The first is the Eco-Farm in Prato, above Cala degli Inglesi, where the Vermentino grapes grow, on the sunny side of the south-facing hill with a wonderful panoramic view of the Gulf. There are also olive trees from which a small oil production is obtained, with olives of Pignola and Lavagnina quality and an apiary for the production of honey, especially chestnut and millefiori. At the foot of the organic farm, an old dryer, now renovated, houses the osteria dei Coppelli and the oil mill for the cold pressing of the olives. On the other side of the park, cooler and shadier, the Mulino del Gassetta is one of the last remaining mills in the Valle dei Mulini: it houses a small museum open to all visitors, a bar/restaurant with a terrace and a vegetable garden where seasonal, including hops for home beer making.
The La Portofinese Eco-Farm, above Cala degli Inglesi, where the Vermentino grapes grow
In the sea of Portofino You’ll find the Cantina & Grotta dei Coppelli, home of the wine produced in the vineyards upstream, in a tunnel dug into the rock and powered by geothermal energy. A few steps from the square, just in front of the yacht dock, is ÜCaban, a name that evokes (in Genoese) a certain type of crab: an intimate place with an interior space and a small terrace, covered and furnished with wood is the idea , being on a boat and overlooking the outdoor terrace where aperitifs and tastings with La Portofinese products and other Ligurian specialties are served.
The Osteria dei Coppelli by La Portofino in Portofino
The picnic in the reality of La Portofinese
The ÜCaban, an intimate place, with an interior space and a small terrace covered in wood and furnished to give the idea of being in a boat
Honorable mention for the Il Faro di Portofino lounge bar and its breathtaking view of the Tigullio Gulf (especially at sunset). Il Faro is located at the extreme and most evocative point of the promontory and can only be reached on foot with a stroll from the small square of Portofino. It is open from morning to sunset, the perfect moment to enjoy a good aperitif while sipping the now famous La Portofinese spritz with prosecco, soda and the limoncino made by the company, accompanied by a platter of Ligurian proposals and homemade ones gastronomic products at home . And for a more intimate experience, Il Faretto will also open this spring, a small green Eden with about ten tables immersed in the Mediterranean maquis, in the shade of a fragrant lemon house, which can also be rented exclusively.
The location of Il Faro di Portofino, a lounge bar managed by La Portofino
Products. The La Portfinese brand offers various food and wine products that can be purchased at any of the locations or in the shop in Santa Margherita Ligure. These are Vermentino Ü Portufin, Coppelli’s wine, Coppelli’s oil, Coppelli’s tomato sauce, Coppelli’s jams, Portofinese beer (Golden Ale and Amber Ale), La Portofinese liqueurs (Limoncino and Myrtle), the honey and lemon jam, drinks: from La Splendida lemonade, to Orange Soda Gran Gioia, Soda l’Onda, Tonic Water La Corsara, Iced Tea l’Eden Gioia, all also available online ([email protected]).
